Another great book in the Mitch Rapp series. This time, Mitch and his CIA colleague, Mike Nash, must try to balance protecting the country from terrorists while avoiding violating their human rights during interrogations. Rapp and Nash are convinced that another Islamic terrorist attack will soon take place on US soil, but they can't get to the bottom of the story because they are accused of torturing suspects in Afghanistan to get more information.
When the duo are called back to Washington, DC, to submit to Congressional probes into their tactics, the terrorist cell planning the attack is free to continue with their goal of crippling the US.
Author Vince Flynn does his usual masterful job of maneuvering his readers through a variety of plot lines to a satisfactory finish. ( )

Over-the-top in a couple places and the sappiest of the series so far, but terrific story! ( )

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Title: Extreme Measures
Series: Mitch Rapp #9
Author: Vince Flynn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 412
Words: 132K

Synopsis:

From Vinceflynn.com

Now, Rapp and his protege, Mike Nash, may have met their match. The CIA has detected and intercepted two terrorist cells, but a third is feared to be on the loose. Led by a dangerous mastermind obsessed with becoming the leader of al-Qaeda, this determined and terrifying group is about to descend on America.

Rapp needs the best on this assignment, and Nash, who has served his government honorably for sixteen years first as an officer in the Marine Corps and then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Rapp is his choice.

Together, they have made careers out of meeting violence with extreme violence and have never wavered in the fight against the jihadists and their culture of death.

Both have fought the war on terrorism in secret without accolades or acknowledgment of their personal sacrifices.

Both have been forced to lie to virtually every single person they care about, and both have soldiered on with the knowledge that their hard work and lethal tactics have saved thousands of lives.

But the political winds have changed in America, and certain leaders on Capitol Hill are pushing to have men like Rapp and Nash put back on a short leash. And then one spring afternoon in Washington, DC, everything changes.

My Thoughts:

This was a good thriller. My only real gripe is the ending. The politician who had been doing her hardest to get Rapp destroyed has a complete change of heart when the bombs go off and suddenly she's all Super Patriot. It was bogus. People like her WANT this country destroyed, which is what makes them so insidious. It also makes them impervious to logic and all rational thought. Sadly, there is only one way to deal with people like that and it almost never turns out well. So that was my gripe.

Rapp takes front and center in this book. There have been times when Irene Kennedy, the director of the CIA plays as big a part but this time she is barely mentioned and pretty much lets Rapp loose. For the record, I am completely FOR enhanced interrogation methods. They work, despite what the media may trumpet. They are liars, pure and simple.

(Man, I keep going off about real world politics here, sorry about that)

Rapp isn't just a meat head with a steady gun hand. He's a smart and capable operator and the badguys and people who oppose him would do well to remember that. Rapp shows his brains through the whole book and it was great to see him outmaneuver almost everyone. There is one other guy, Mike Nash, who is similar to Rapp, but Nash has a wife and several kids. Part of the story centers around him and the stresses this creates. I was afraid the terrorists were going to kill his family much like Rapp's family were killed earlier. Thankfully, that doesn't happen. But up until the leader of the islamic jihadists was killed, I just couldn't tell if the author was going to go there or not.

I had taken a break from Rapp last year and started up again in January. I am finding that 3 books is about the right amount for me. So after this book I'll be taking another break, reading something else and then coming back to Rapp for another 3 books. Balancing my reading is getting more and more complicated but considering that I haven't had a reading slump in over 6 or 7 years now, well, that means it is working. * pounds fist * Yeah, I am THAT good.

★★★✬☆ ( )

2.5 stars

This was pretty boring for the first half of the book. There was a ton of plodding setup, including characters who ended up really having nothing to do with main plot. Things got rolling at about 53%, and then it felt more like the Mitch Rapp books I'm used to.
( )

In advertent rereading of the book - remarkably little memory from the first reading.
My enjoyment of the Mitch Rapp character and series declines with each book.
Although I dislike liberal politics/politicians becoming involved in counterterrorism activities that they have no real understanding of, it is pretty clear that Rapp is a thug (albeit our thug) with poor anger and behavioral control. ( )